Adamo Marinelli
October 31, 2022
There are many fantastic forwards in the NHL, all of which have the ability to produce for their teams and step up in big moments to win games and are known for either their elite goal-scoring ability, for their playmaking, their creativity, stickhandling, their physicality, or a mix of all these traits.
I know we are about 2 weeks into the season, but let’s take a look at the top 10 entering the 2022 season:
Connor McDavid, Center, Edmonton Oilers: Along with Leon Draisaitl, McDavid has the MVP of the Edmonton Oilers not only last season, where he recorded 44 goals, and 79 assists totaling 123 points, good enough to lead the entire league in scoring to win the Art Ross Trophy, but he has been the engine that has run the Oilers’ franchise. His speed, creativity in the offensive zone, ability to find open teammates and make the hardest of passes look easy, his high hockey IQ, and his ability to find the back of the net make him one of the most well-rounded and talented players in the league. In five of his seven seasons (excluding this one), he’s scored over 100 points and in 2019 he scored 97. He is the epitome of offensive consistency. McDavid is a weapon on the powerplay and has been pretty efficient in the faceoff circle for the majority of his phenomenal career.
Nathan MacKinnon, Center, Colorado Avalanche: MacKinnon was an integral part of the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup-winning season. His composure and patience in the offensive zone, playmaking, stickhandling, ability to get open and quick release on his powerful shot make him one of the better centerman in the league. He has always been one of the better faceoff takers in the league; he’s consistently averaged a win percentage in the mid to high 40 percent range, which is impressive. He scored 32 goals and 56 assists totaling 88 points in the regular season and an incredible 24 points in 20 playoff games, over a point-per-game pace, which is exactly what you need in the postseason. He’s always been a threat on the powerplay too; scoring 25 or more powerplay points in each of the last five seasons. He registered 104 shots on goal last season, most in the NHL, and can consistently get open to generate scoring chances.
Auston Matthews, Center, Toronto Maple Leafs: The Maple Leafs are an extremely talented team offensively. Leading the charge is Auston Matthews, who has been a tremendous goalscorer ever since he entered the league in 2016. Excluding this season, he has scored 259 goals in six years and averages 43 goals per season, including a whopping 60 goals last season, more than anyone else in the league, winning him the Rocket Richard Trophy. He does not just score goals, he’s also an incredible passer and playmaker; he’s recorded 46 assists and 106 points and finished sixth in the league in scoring. He won the Hart Trophy for being the most valuable player to his team and the Ted Lindsay award for being the league’s most outstanding player in the regular season. Excluding his rookie season, he’s never won less than 51% of his faceoffs (excluding this year), which is phenomenal. He is a threat on the powerplay, scoring 16 goals last year on the man advantage. He provides so much to the Leafs, it’s easy to see why he is held in such high regard for his offensive zone talent.
Leon Draisaitl, Center/Left wing, Edmonton Oilers: When it is not McDavid lighting up opposing defenses, Leon Draisaitl picks up the slack and then some. Draisaitl is a proven scorer and he is a stellar playmaker too and the stats back it up. Last season, he scored 55 goals and tacked on 55 assists for a total of 110 points. Draisaitl has a high hockey IQ, is phenomenal with the puck on his stick, and can get the puck to any of his teammates anywhere on the ice. He is fantastic in the faceoff circle, averaging nearly 52% in the faceoff circle, which is important for a team like the Oilers, who rely on winning faceoffs to play retain more possession to create more offensive chances. He has a quick release on his accurate wrist shot and the power and accuracy of his slapshot are improving. He has a nose for the net, and can always find open spots on the ice to set up and shoot. He also contributes on the defensive end which makes him such an elite forward.
Kirill Kaprizov, Left wing, Minnesota Wild: At only 25 years old, Kaprizov is already breaking out into a sensational young talent. In 2021-22, his breakout season, he recorded an astounding 47 goals and 61 assists for a total of 108 points at only 24. Even in his rookie season, which was shortened due to COVID-19, he scored 27 goals, 24 assists, and 51 points (breaking Marion Gaborik’s rookie record of 36 points set in 2001) and was on pace for nearly 75-80 points which is incredible for a rookie. He has a nose for the net and always seems to find ways to get open for scoring chances. Playing on a line with Mats Zuccarello and Frederick Gaudreau has helped his development but he is a phenom talent and what he’s done offensively in his first few seasons is nothing short of spectacular. He has a crisp, accurate pass and can fool defenders with his eyes and hands before making a pass to set up his teammate and he has been a weapon on the powerplay, scoring 22 powerplay goals in two seasons (excluding the current season). He will develop into a sensational talent and lead the Wild to playoff success.
Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers: Panarin’s impact to the Rangers as a purebred playmaker has been nothing short of spectacular. His creativity with the puck on his stick, his vision, high hockey IQ, and his accurate passes - both short and long - allow him to get the puck to any of his teammates anywhere on the ice. With Chicago, his role was more balanced between playmaking and goal-scoring, however for his entire career with Columbus and New York, he’s recorded twice as many (or more) assists as goals in all but the 2019-20 season, where he was one assist short of doubling his 32 goals. Last season was no different, he scored 22 goals, but tallied an impressive 74 assists. Playing with tremendous goal scorers like Chris Kreider, who had 52 goals last season, Mika Zibanejad, and Vincent Trocheck means his opportunities to create chances will be plentiful, but his ability to make a play to set up a shot or create an attack has been a key reason for the Rangers’ success in recent seasons.
Mikko Rantanen, Right winger, Colorado Avalanche: Rantanen is another player that can
do it all offensively and produce in big moments for his team. Last season was his best ever statistically, where he recorded 36 goals (a career-high) and 56 assists (ties a career-high) for a career-best 92 points which was a huge reason the Avalanche had so much success in the regular season. He doesn’t just perform in the regular season either: his 20 assists and 25 points in the playoffs helped win the Avalanche some big games on their way to a Stanley Cup victory. What he’s been able to do at only 26 years old is incredible and he’s just entering his prime and only going to get better. Playing alongside the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Arturi Lehkonen will only help him develop as a more well-rounded player. He knows how to get open to generate chances and put him in positions to score. He recorded 254 shots and 51 on target, which is 14th best in the league. His contribution to the Avalanche offense has been big.
Sidney Crosby, Center, Pittsburgh Penguins: What Crosby has done in his storied career has been nothing short of incredible and he will without a doubt be a future Hall of Famer. Sidney Crosby was a key contributor in the elite Penguins teams that made back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2008-09 and 2009-10 and that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Before the start of this season, he already had over 500 goals and 1400 points which shows how dynamic of a player he is on the offensive side, both as a playmaker and as a goal scorer. For most of his prime, he’d be guaranteed to get over 80 points per season and he even surpassed the 100-point mark on numerous occasions. Last season, Crosby scored 31 goals and added 53 assists for a total of 84 points. Even at an older age, he can still produce in bunches, both at even strength and on the powerplay, where he recorded 30 points last season. He can score goals at efficient rates and can set up his teammates for scoring chances with his vision, stellar passing, and high hockey IQ. He limits his mistakes. He is now mentoring the younger forwards on the team.
Alex Ovechkin, Left wing, Washington Capitals: Ovechkin is one of the best goal scorers the NHL has seen since the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, Brett Hull, and Phil Esposito and it has been this way for a long time. His incredibly accurate wrist shot, the quick release on his snapshot, and the pure power on his extremely accurate one-timers, especially from his “office” in the left faceoff circle have been the reason for his goal-scoring prowess. He has had nine seasons scoring 50 or more goals and in his best season in 2007-08, he scored an astounding 65. He has a total of 783 goals and is only 111 away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894. If anyone has a chance to pass the all-time great, it’s Ovechkin, who even at an older age is still scoring in bunches, even when history shows players over the age of 37 tend to slow down. He knows how to get open, he can create chances with his stickhandling and he uses his elite vision to deceive goalies before firing it into an empty net. His tremendous accuracy allows him to get pucks into the tiniest of gaps which helps his scoring. He’d need to average 28 goals for the next four seasons to break Gretzky’s record, he has three so far in eight games, and he’s on pace for 30 if he stays healthy.
Nikita Kucherov, Right-wing, Tampa Bay Lightning: Over the course of the last few seasons, Nikita Kucherov has really found his groove and has settled in nicely into a roster of extremely talented offensive players in Tampa Bay. Kucherov’s best seasons were a 100-point campaign in 2017-18 and a 128-point campaign in 2018-19. Kucherov’s production has dropped off slightly, but for the next two seasons, he was still scoring at a torrid pace. He scored 85 points in 68 games in 2019-20 and 69 points in 47 games in 2021-22 after missing the previous regular season due to an injury. His elite goal-scoring and playmaking talent are on display, scoring 34 and 32 points during the Lightning’s two Stanley Cup-winning campaigns and tallying 27 points in 23 games the following year in their loss to the Avalanche. Having a proficient scorer who is also unselfish and will never hesitate to make a play, including taking a hit, to set his teammates up on the roster, is a huge reason Kucherov has become so successful. Playing on such a talented team with one of the best coaches in the NHL also plays a role in his success, something that will continue as time passes.
Honorable mentions: All of these guys contribute to their team, scoring goals, setting up teammates, being physical, and winning faceoffs, but just missed out on the top 10.
Steven Stamkos, C/LW, TBL
David Pastrnak, RW, BOS
Brady Tkachuk, LW, OTT
Matthew Tkachuk, RW, FLA
Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, CGY
Brad Marchand, LW, BOS
Sebastian Aho, C, CAR
Chris Kreider, LW/RW, NYR
Andrei Svecnikov, LW, CAR
No comments:
Post a Comment